A method and apparatus are provided for presenting multimedia content to a caller and/or a called party in association with a telephone call. Content may be presented pre-ring (before the called party's telephone rings), in-call, and/or post-call. Content presented to a party may be related to another party participating in the call or may be related to a third party (e.g., an advertiser that paid for the ability to have its content presented). Presented content may be actuable, to allow a caller to change the destination of a call, take advantage of an offer presented to him or her, redeem a coupon, schedule or queue a subsequent call, etc. To find a desired destination party, a caller may initiate a manual or automatic search of his or her local contacts (on his telephone) and/or a central or global directory or contact list.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method of controlling presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising: receiving electronic notification of initiation of a call from a first party operating a first communication device to a second party that operates a second communication device; delaying the call without soliciting action by the first party; and causing pre-ring content to be transmitted to and displayed on the first communication device before the call rings at the second communication device, wherein said causing comprises instructing the first communication device to retrieve the pre-ring content from a specified location.
A method for controlling what's displayed on a phone during a call involves a server delaying a phone call from the calling party. Instead of immediately ringing the recipient's phone, the server sends content (like an advertisement or company logo) to the caller's phone to be displayed before the recipient's phone rings. The server tells the caller's phone where to retrieve this pre-ring content, such as a specific URL or server address. No action is required from the caller to initiate the display.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: transmitting to the first communication device a notification that the call is delayed.
The method described above where content is displayed before a call rings includes an additional step. The server sends a notification to the caller's phone indicating that the call is being intentionally delayed. This informs the caller that the wait is not due to network issues, but rather to allow the pre-ring content to be displayed.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: aborting the delay in response to activation, by the first party, of a predetermined control of the first communication device.
Building upon the content display and delay notification method, this also allows the caller to immediately proceed with the call by pressing a button or performing an action on their phone. If the caller activates this control, the server will stop delaying the call and immediately ring the recipient's phone, skipping any remaining pre-ring content.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-ring content comprises an acknowledgement of the initiated call.
The pre-ring content shown to the caller before the call connects, as described in the initial content display method, can be a simple acknowledgement message. For example, the screen might display "Calling [Recipient Name]" or "Connecting Your Call" while the delay is in effect.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: causing content displayed on the first communication device prior to establishment of the call to be displayed on the second communication device, wherein the content is one of: the pre-ring content; and content displayed on the first communication device before the pre-ring content.
In addition to showing pre-ring content to the caller, the system can also display content on the recipient's phone, as the call is being set up. This content can be the same pre-ring content displayed to the caller, or it could be content that was already displayed on the caller's phone even *before* the pre-ring content.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: causing shared content displayed on the first communication device to be simultaneously displayed on the second communication device.
This extends the system by allowing for simultaneous content sharing during call setup. Content displayed on the caller's phone is simultaneously mirrored and displayed on the recipient's phone. This allows both parties to view the same information even before the call is fully connected.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: causing an annotation to the shared content, by the second party, to be displayed on the first communication device.
Building on the shared content concept, the recipient can annotate the content being displayed on both phones, and their annotations will appear on the caller's phone as well. This enables collaborative viewing and interactive communication before the call is answered.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving additional content from the second party; and transmitting the additional content toward the first communication device.
In addition to the pre-ring content from the server, the recipient can send additional content to the caller's phone. This additional content is transmitted to the caller's phone.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: prompting the second party to transmit additional content to the first communication device.
This expands on the previous claim by actively prompting the recipient to send additional content to the caller's phone. The server asks the recipient if they want to share a picture, document, or other information with the caller.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: prompting a third party to transmit additional content to the first communication device.
Instead of the recipient, a third party (like an advertiser) can be prompted to send additional content to the caller's phone. The server requests content from a third-party server, which then sends promotional or other material to the caller's phone during the pre-ring period.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: causing to be transmitted to one or both of the first communication device and the second communication device one or more of: in-call content delivered during the call; and post-call content delivered after the call.
The system supports the delivery of content not only before the call rings but also during the call (in-call content) and after the call ends (post-call content). In-call content could be real-time information updates, and post-call content might be a summary or follow-up offer. This content can be sent to one or both communication devices involved.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-ring content includes a control that, when activated, causes the call to be aborted.
The pre-ring content displayed to the caller includes a control (such as a button) that, when activated, immediately cancels the call attempt. This provides the caller with a quick and easy way to abort the call before it connects.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of controlling presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising: receiving electronic notification of initiation of a call from a first party operating a first communication device to a second party that operates a second communication device; delaying the call without soliciting action by the first party; and causing pre-ring content to be transmitted to the first communication device before the call rings at the second communication device, wherein said causing comprises instructing the first communication device to retrieve the pre-ring content from a specified location.
A software program (stored on a computer-readable medium) controls how content is presented on phones during a call. The program delays a phone call from the calling party. Instead of immediately ringing the recipient's phone, the program sends content (like an advertisement or company logo) to the caller's phone to be displayed before the recipient's phone rings. The program tells the caller's phone where to retrieve this pre-ring content, such as a specific URL or server address. No action is required from the caller to initiate the display.
14. Apparatus for controlling presentation of content on a communication device external to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive electronic notification of initiation of a call from a first party operating a first communication device to a second party that operates a second communication device; delay the call without soliciting action by the first party; and cause pre-ring content to be transmitted to the first communication device before the call rings at the second communication device, wherein said causing comprises instructing the first communication device to retrieve the pre-ring content from a specified location.
A device or system controls what content is presented on communication devices during a phone call. It includes a processor and memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the device to delay a phone call from the calling party. Instead of immediately ringing the recipient's phone, the device sends content to the caller's phone to be displayed before the recipient's phone rings. The device instructs the caller's phone where to retrieve this "pre-ring" content. No action is required from the caller to initiate the display.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: transmit to the first communication device a notification that the call is delayed.
The device described above that delays the phone call and displays content before ringing the recipient's phone, also sends a notification to the caller's phone stating that the call is delayed. This message informs the caller that the pause is intentional.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: abort the delay in response to activation, by the first party, of a predetermined control of the first communication device.
Building on the device that displays pre-ring content and sends a delay notification, the device also allows the caller to immediately proceed with the call. If the caller activates a control (e.g. presses a button), the device will stop the delay and immediately ring the recipient's phone.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the pre-ring content comprises an acknowledgement of the initiated call.
The pre-ring content displayed to the caller by the device can be a simple acknowledgment message. For instance, the screen might show "Calling [Recipient Name]" during the delay period.
18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: cause content displayed on the first communication device prior to establishment of the call to be displayed on the second communication device, wherein the content is one of: the pre-ring content; and content displayed on the first communication device before the pre-ring content.
Besides showing pre-ring content to the caller, the device can display content on the recipient's phone as the call is being set up. This content can be the same pre-ring content shown to the caller or content that appeared on the caller's phone even *before* the pre-ring content was displayed.
19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: cause shared content displayed on the first communication device to be simultaneously displayed on the second communication device.
This expands the device's capabilities by enabling simultaneous content sharing. Content displayed on the caller's phone is mirrored and displayed on the recipient's phone at the same time.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 , further comprising: causing an annotation to the shared content, by the second party, to be displayed on the first communication device.
Building on the shared content device, the recipient can annotate the shared content, and those annotations are also displayed on the caller's phone. This enables collaborative viewing before the call connects.
21. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising: receiving additional content from the second party; and transmitting the additional content toward the first communication device.
In addition to pre-ring content, the recipient can send additional content, and the device will transmit that content to the caller's phone.
22. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising: prompting the second party to transmit additional content to the first communication device.
The device also has the capability to prompt the recipient to send additional content to the caller's phone.
23. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising: prompting a third party to transmit additional content to the first communication device.
The device can prompt a third party to send additional content to the caller's phone during the pre-ring period.
24. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: cause to be transmitted to one or both of the first communication device and the second communication device one or more of: in-call content delivered during the call; and post-call content delivered after the call.
The device supports sending content during the call and after the call. This "in-call" and "post-call" content can be sent to one or both phones involved in the call.
25. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the pre-ring content includes a control that, when activated, causes the call to be aborted.
The pre-ring content displayed by the device includes a control (like a button) that, when activated by the caller, immediately cancels the call.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 24, 2015
August 1, 2017
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.